Immortality Views Among Different Cultures and Religions

The concept of life after death has been around practically as long as life itself. Our beliefs about life after death can have a profound effect on our attitudes toward life. Most individual's beliefs about life after death are directly related to their cultural or religious affiliations. According to Montagu, "Of all the many forms which natural religion has assumed none probably has exerted so deep and far  reaching an influence on human life as the belief in immortality" (1955, p.15).

Archeologists have discovered what is believed to be evidence of Neanderthal man's belief in life after death. They found the remains of several Neanderthals buried with such items as flowers. It is hypothesized that they buried their dead to put the immortal spirit at rest. Scholars have concluded this after viewing some of the earliest writings on the subject of immortality. These writings include the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh which was written over four thousand years ago. One particular passage describes the spirits at rest due to an appropriate burial while other references are made about the horrible fate of those who were unfortunate enough not to receive an appropriate burial.

Although Neanderthal man left no written records to help us understand their immortality beliefs, the ancient Greeks recorded volumes on the topic. The Greeks believed that a God named Hades ruled a place they called the Underworld. The Underworld would bring pleasure to the deserving and offered punishment for the undeserving. The good individuals would go to a sunny green field of paradise called Elysian Fields. The rest would be tortured or live on as mere shadows of their previous existence in the Underworld.

Hinduism is a religion without a known beginning which takes on many diverse forms. However, some common elements exist among its many forms. Reincarnation is the Hindu belief that after dying the spirit returns in another life form. A deceased loved one's spirit may now inhabit any type of animal and possibly even another human being. The human spirit is on a quest for perfection and continues to go through this cycle of rebirth until perfection is reached. Therefore, the goal is to reach spiritual perfection which will end the vicious cycle of birth and rebirth. The Hindu religion believes in accountability for every action and thought. Karma is a term used to explain that hardships and inequalities exist due to bad deeds undertaken in previous lives. Hindus believe the physical world is just an illusion and conceals the divine truth, often referred to as Brahman, from all but the wisest of followers. In summary, the Hindu belief views the physical body as merely a vehicle the soul or atman travels in, which has no ending or beginning.

Buddhism is a religion that draws on several of the themes within Hinduism. Like Hindus, Buddhists believe that the spirit is trapped in the physical body which cycles through birth, death and rebirth under the concept of karma until spiritual enlightenment has bee reached. Buddhist believes that ignorance is the roadblock to ultimate salvation. The doctrine of Buddhism states that life is suffering and human existence is inherently painful. This suffering and pain is due to the cravings of our own selfishness. When a Buddhist can remove themselves from this selfishness then the state of Nirvana is entered and the pain will cease. Nirvana can be described as the experience of having reached ultimate reality.

Australian Aborigines have strong immortality beliefs. Upon death the spirit would be released and reunited with the spirits of dead ancestors. Some of the tribes believe that the spirit continues to remain in the place where the individual has died. Other tribes believe that the spirit is carried over the ocean to a mystical land of the dead. Judaism's immortality beliefs include the idea that an individual's thoughts and deeds...

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

...
A LIFE SITUATION
Peter has been HR Manager for 18years and vice president for 2 more years for Zyedego Corporation, a small company in New Orleans.
ISSUES
After hurricane Katrina employees had been working round the clock to get the company up and running
The company has been calling former employees to rehire them
Gwyn the current manger is planning to rehire Dana Gonzales but she’s pregnant. He is concerned for her safety coz of the rough condition of the workplace. Incase Dana is rehired Gwyn feels that her wages should be reduced by 25% - coz the entire group has exceeded their budget.
But Dana says that if she’s not rehired she’ll go to a competitor and the company should pay her severance of 2 weeks wages
Gwyn is also concerned that Dana may not be a full US citizen coz her documents appeated to be fake. The flood destroyed the original documents and although Gwyn has requested new ones Dana has been slow to provide them.
Hiring of track drivers
The company hires track drivers and routinely request for driving records as part of the pre employment process. Several have DWI (Driving under the Influence) records though all of them happened 5 years ago.
Gwyn has been hiring drivers with infractions including DWI to serve the number of drivers needed.
She wonders whether she is creating a potential risk for the company if any of them is involved in an accident that relates to a potential violation
Peter feels Gwyn needs guidance with hiring practices
Peter...

...Change in Time
A culture's sense of time is based on how that cultureviews the past, present or future. Americans have a very different sense of time compared to China and France, our view of time is time is important and shouldn't be wasted on trivial things. Americans believe deadlines are more important than building relationships or getting comfortable with big decisions. China has a very different point of view on time, it's to be cherished and used to build relationships and to make better decisions. The French have a similar point of view they treat time as a way to enjoy life and work to have more time, not work to fill time.
Polychromic cultures tend to perform multiple tasks simultaneously with a higher commitment to relationship building than to task completion or meeting deadlines. Tasks are accomplished through building strong relationships rather than creating detailed plans. Punctuality is defined in looser terms as some delays are expected and deadlines can be adjusted. Whereas "soon" to a North American usually means in the next few minutes, hours or days, "soon" to an Asian may mean three months, a year, or whenever they are ready. Time is not fixed but rather an organic, flowing process. Asian, Arab, and Southern European cultures are polychromic.
Monochromic cultures are highly committed to doing one task at a...

...Elements of Religion
James Morales
REL-133
April 17, 2013
Joseph Becker
Elements of ReligionReligion is a way of life for much of mankind, and though all religions are not the same, do all religions do the same thing? Can religion be considered as a way to unite mankind, or viewed as a way to segregate them. Lines are drawn by religions even though many look to religion as a way of life. To join again is the linguistic meaning of the word religion. To search or find the divine or sacred is what drives mankind to follow religion in all its shapes and forms. From Christianity to Buddhism, to indigenous religions such as the Native Americans, or Igbo tribes of Africa, while studying religion what components will be deemed critical to the composition of a religion, and what issues will be faced while studying what a religion does, and how. What are some of the ways a religion will honor the sacred, to include different rights of passage in a religion. (Malloy, 2010)
The basic concepts of religion seem to bind most religions together. There are eight all together, the belief system, community, central myths, ritual, ethics, characteristic emotional experiences, material expressions, and sacredness. When...

...theory traditionally excludes the discussion of religion and culture. Each particular theory has its own reasons for doing so, but this discussion will summarize the existing arguments against the exclusion of religion and it will analyze the importance of religion to stable and cooperative governments. The role of religion and corresponding political stability in three Middle Eastern nations (Egypt, Iran, and Lebanon) will be examined in recent history and demonstrate that a balance between tolerance and regard for religion but separation of it from policy is the key to domestically stable and internationally cooperative government.
I. Introduction
a. The role of religious tolerance in Middle Eastern countries and its correlation to stability and international acceptance.
b. Countries for close examination are Lebanon, Egypt, and Iran.
c. These countries demonstrate a variety of religious intolerances and various levels of stability and international cooperation.
d. Research question: Is religious intolerance responsible for the internal stability or instability of these countries? Would secularized government with religious tolerance improve their IR standings?
II. Literature Review
a. “Another Great Awakening” by Barnett1.
i. Discusses the importance of religion to international relations theories, despite religion being generally ignored by this...

...times a companion of Paul.
2. In what ways does the designation “disputed or undisputed”, affect how one reads the New Testament letters? Does “authenticity” affect the importance power of these texts as “scripture” in the Christian faith? Does the designation affect the role of certain texts as historical evidence in the historian’ task?
Some ways disputed or undisputed how someone reads the New Testament letters are they cannot be proven to us, you have to only believe. The authenticity affect of the scriptures makes you wonder did someone really write the letters and could they be true to what has been written by the authors of the letters. Yes, the designation can affect the roles of texts from historian’s point of view.
3. How do scholars proceed with reconstructing the conversational exchange between Paul and the churches in Corinth? What is the role of Chloe’s people? How do letters play a part? How do we know (what is the evidence for these letters and their
exchange)?
Scholars have worked out various chronologies for Paul’s life but generally agree on a sequence of events that are dated in a span of a few years apart. Chloe’s people sought out Paul to let him know the problems in Corinth. The messages from Chloe’s people prompted Paul to write the letters and ask for unity between them.
4. What is the “New Perspective on Paul?” What is the “old” perspective on Paul (that emerged from the Reformation)? How does...

...and with external forces. His view of life itself and the struggles and obstacles it presents is significantly influenced by the fact that he is Christian living in a Christian society. However, through the lens’ of other religions, such as Buddhism and Islam, Hamlet’s view on life and its obstacles may not have been any easier to deal with, but he would have certainly dealt with life’s “slings and arrows” (p. 127) differently.
In a conversation with Ophelia which occurs at the start of Act III, Hamlet essentially expresses the view that man is inherently bad. Though he never explicitly states this, he does say to Ophelia that she should lead a celibate life and join a convent so that she does not become “a breeder of sinners”. This statement is powerful because no one would ever make such a statement unless he believed both man and life to be full of suffering. He goes onto say that he considers himself a fairly virtuous person and yet he himself has done and thought so many awful things that he feels it would have been better for everyone had his mother never given birth to him. He then lists what he sees as some of his flaws including being “proud, revengeful, ambitious…”. He asks the question, “What should fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven?” He does not ask the question hoping for a response. Rather, the question only demonstrates not only his Christian perspective on life and death (the state of...

...﻿“Religions have developed systems of beliefs to respond to the big questions in life.”
The Protestant Christian Tradition has a set of rituals and beliefs that set the foundation for their faith. The acceptance in a triune God, that is; God as three persons that are collectively one, God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, is a fundamental part in the Protestant Christian Traditions understanding of the Characteristics of God. His nature is also understood as being transcendent –existing out of space and time, and immanent – being present within space and time. God’s image is present in humanity and thus these beliefs in God and his character enable us to get a clear understanding of our purpose in life, and the responsibility we hold as result of our personal relationship with God.
In the Protestant Christian Tradition, God is understood as having a transcendent aspect within his nature, that is; God is wholly other in the sense that he is unlike his creation and stands above and beyond the fallen created order as one who is perfectly holy. God the creator, is portrayed as being above and beyond his creation “ For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16). God’s transcendence separates him from his creation in the sense of separating himself from the sin that is present in the...

...Every society and culture has different ways of interpreting and defining occurrences by the way their own culture or society functions. "A society's culture, consists of whatever it is one has to know or believe in order to operate in a manner acceptable to its members"(Geertz 242). The rituals, customs, ethics and morals that are attributed to the cultures have caused these differences. To understand how the people of one culture interpret a situation or event, one must evaluate the attributes that a culture has. The criteria that an event is based on changes as one culture applies their own ideas to the given situation. Heroism and violation are two concepts that are easily misinterpreted depending on culture's ideals. Since cultures have different attributes it is impossible for two cultures to exist and share a view of a situation or event.
Heroism and violation are two concepts that are addressed by Geertz in his relating of Ryle's story of the sheep raid. From the differentcultures involved, two different interpretations are concluded. To the protagonist, Cohen, and the perpetrators of the crime, his raid on the Berbers was seen as heroism. Cohen risking his life for his redemption of crime that was committed against him is viewed as heroic....